1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to electrical connectors comprising a male housing member and a corresponding female housing member, one of these housing members containing male electrical connection members and the other containing corresponding female electrical connection members.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Connectors of this kind are very well known and routinely used in many industries, in particular in the manufacture of automobiles, aircraft, domestic appliances, etc.
In principle, one housing member supports a series of male electrical connection members connected to a set of conductors for supplying various electrical devices and the other housing member supports a series of female electrical connection members corresponding to the male members and connected to a set of conductors to ensure continuity of electrical supply from the current source to the devices to be supplied. Once the housing members are assembled together, there is in principle no need to uncouple them. In some applications, however, it must be possible to separate and re-assemble the housing members many times, one of them being carried by a part that is mobile relative to a part carrying the other. As some slack may arise between these parts, it may become impossible to insert the male member into the female member because they are no longer aligned.
In mechanized installations where robots assemble the housing members the situation can arise that, because of the tolerances, the housing members are offset and so cannot be assembled together.
One object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector in which the male housing member can be inserted into the female housing member even if the housing members are not in perfect alignment.